DASSEL TOWNSHIP, MN – Two juveniles were hurt in a boating accident on Big Swan Lake in Dassel Township Saturday, according to a press release from the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office received the 911 call just before 1 p.m. May 26. Initial investigation showed that a 13-year-old had been operating a boat and pulling people on a tube.

Authorities discovered that the propeller of the boat caused lacerations to two victims. One victim, Alexander Pazahanick, 13, of Bloomington, was airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center with critical but stable injuries. A second juvenile, Ethan Favour, 16, of St. Louis Park, was transported to Meeker Memorial Hospital by private vehicle.

Driver inexperience was cited as a major factor in the accident, and the 13-year-old driver faces potential charges, according to the sheriff’s office. The boat owner, Jeffrey Pazahanick, 41, of Bloomington, was issued a citation for allowing illegal operation of a watercraft.

The Meeker County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by Dassel Fire and Rescue, Gold Cross Ambulance, and Life Link III Helicopter.